Bites from other Blogs

The spicy kick of wasabi is what makes it a favorite condiment for many people, and while you’ll often see it with sushi, it is becoming more and more common to see wasabi pop up other places these days. That said, it’s still surprising to see it in dessert form. Katie Cakes used it in these Wasabi and White Chocolate Cupcakes. A generous amount of wasabi paste goes right into the fluffy white chocolate cupcakes to give them a surprising heat. They’re not strongly wasabi flavored, but instead have an unusually spicy flavor to them underneath the sweetness of the cake. They’re topped off with vanilla buttercream that is tinted with a hint of green as a subtle signal about what flavors the cake.

If you like chocolate and mint, you just might start to drool when looking at the picture of Rock Recipes‘ Midnight Mint Chocolate Cake. The towering cake has four layers of fluffy, dark chocolate cake that are stacked up with a generous amount of mint frosting. The whole thing is topped with a chocolate ganache glaze to give it a glossy, polished look. The black and white effect that you get with each slice is beautiful – and just about irresistible.

Summertime is s’mores season, and the Super Simple S’mores Bars that Tracey’s Culinary Adventures recently tried are a great way to enjoy this treat. The bars are quick and easy to make. They start out with a buttery sugar cookie base made with graham cracker crumbs to give it that s’mores flavor. The base is pressed into a pan and topped off with a layer of chocolate bars – Hershey’s is the classic choice for a s’more – and spread with marshmallows creme. A sprinkling of reserved cookie crumbs is added to the top before baking. The finished bars are tender and chewy, with a great amount of chocolate and marshmallow to balance out the cookie.

The Chocolate Chip Biscoff Cookies from War and Yeast promise to be nothing short of amazing – and since they’re made with browned butter, chocolate chips and additive Biscoff spread, it’s not hard to believe! These cookies are also made with an unusual mixing method, where the base for the cookie dough is prepared on the stovetop so that the sugars are caramelized before the dough is mixed together. The result is a dense, chewy cookie that is satisfying to eat both in texture and in flavor.

Buttermilk can actually make a great base for ice creams and sorbets because it is very creamy, but has a refreshingly tangy flavor that makes the ice cream taste and feel lighter. Cooking with Michele definitely had great results with this Buttermilk Ice Cream with Marcona Almonds. Light and just tangy enough to make it addictive, the ice cream has a great flavor and one that goes well with all kinds of things that you might want to stir into it. Almonds add a nice crunch, but consider pairing the ice cream with fresh berries, a splash of caramel or even simply topping it with a drizzle of maple syrup before serving.